America Uruguay To restore police presence on the streets is priority for Montevideo's new police chief, who rejects the idea of heavy hand, defends use of armored vehicles to protect officers, maintains that Uruguay is far from falling into violence as Central America
Europe Iceland Local goat breeders are trying to pursue the same selective breeding that is saving Icelandic sheep from scrapie, but without success; only about 2.000 Icelandic goats, vulnerable to the disease, are left
Asia Syria Hezbollah is continuing to reduce its presence in Syria by bringing back to Lebanon its fighters who had supported the Syrian regime
Asia Brunei His Majesty the Sultan attended the 2024 Sarawak Regatta in Kuching, Malaysia; the traditional Waterfront Festival assigned the title of 'King of the River' to decorated wooden boats manned by 30 rowers
Europe Hungary The state of emergency introduced in 2022 due to the war in Ukraine has been extended, leaving wider decision-making powers to the Orbán government and to rule by decree, thus also passing laws with no parliamentary procedure until at least May 2025
Asia Singapore The Early Childhood Development Agency will work with five key operators to open almost 40.000 new nursery and kindergarten places in Singapore from 2025 to 2029
Asia Philippines The canonical coronation of the Our Lady of Fatima de Binakayan in Cavite has been approved by the Vatican; this revered Marian image is the third in the Diocese of Imus, after Our Lady of the Pillar and the Nuestra Señora dela Soledad de Porta Vaga
America Saint Kitts and Nevis Clearing of lands for the construction of new smart homes has begun, marking the first step forward in the government's mission to provide affordable, high-quality, climate-resilient housing
Asia South Korea For the first time since 2017 South Korea did not experience a typhoon landfall this summer, while powerful storms hit the country in the past two years; experts explain it was due to a North Pacific high pressure system that caused extreme heat in August
Africa Sao Tome and Principe Sao Tome and Principe has ratified the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage; as per its Article 27, the Convention will enter into force three months after the date of the deposit of this instrument, on 3 January 2025
Asia Vietnam Media attention raised on Sùng Y Múa, a native Mong, healthcare worker, since 2005 dedicated to enhancing community welfare and health, reducing early marriages and drug abuse; her homestay revived cultural tourism and sets an example for the region
Europe Vatican City The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors released its first report; after 10 years of extensive research across five continents, it identifies progress in best practices and steps to be take, calls for more transparency and rigorous response
Asia Kyrgyzstan The total amount of German investments in Kyrgyzstan in the years of cooperation since 1992 has reached EUR 820 million, said President of the Council of Germans Valery Dil at the conference on the development of Kyrgyz-German bilateral relations
Europe Bosnia and Herzegovina The World Uyghur Congress, an international organisation of exiled Uyghurs, which held its general assembly in Sarajevo in October, claimed that the Chinese embassy exerted pressure to cancel the event with a “coordinated and aggressive campaign”